Yesterday, in answer to a question posited on Twitter, “RU going the agent or editor route with your adult fic?” I answered that I was “strenuously hoping to go the agent route.” I realized shortly after hitting enter that my response was inaccurate–or at least incomplete. Yes, there is hope surrounding my desire for an agent. There will also be luck involved in obtaining one.
Neither of those elements, however–hope or luck–give the whole picture surrounding my quest. They both suggest passivity. I’m not idly dreaming that someday I’ll publish a novel. I work really hard. I take rejection terribly, but I suck it up and go back to work, hard. I strive (see, another labour intensive word) to keep hope alive. And I’ll take all the good fortune and lucky breaks anyone wants to throw at me, absolutely. But in the end, even if my hope’s a cringing weak-butted thing, and all my inbox has seen for too long is form rejections, I will keep working, keep writing, keep sending. Eventually some (carefully selected!) agent will want to sell a book I write–I hope. Knock on wood! 😉
This is a short, maybe odd, post. I just needed (wanted!) to put that out there for myself: I am _strenuously_ hopeful, but I’m also really determined. I will work hard. I won’t quit.
What does your inner writer need to hear today?
Happy writing,
🙂 Ev
Author Ev Bishop: page-turning stories about family, friends, and finding your true home. 
Hooray! I like acknowledging all sides of it: the bright inner hope and the tough, outside effort. Oh and the inner effort, too. Yes, all of it. 🙂
Today my inner writer needed to hear all that, and also that no matter what else is going on, it’s still a writer, and still thinking and coming up with ideas. I can’t stop it and I do not want to.
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I’m so glad you like acknowledging _all_ of it.
And Hear, Hear: “no matter what else is going on, it’s [my inner writer] still a writer, and still thinking and coming up with ideas. I can’t stop it and I do not want to.”
That’s something every inner writer needs to hear time and again!
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I’m so glad you like acknowledging _all_ of it.
And Hear, Hear: “no matter what else is going on, it’s [my inner writer] still a writer, and still thinking and coming up with ideas. I can’t stop it and I do not want to.”
That’s something every inner writer needs to hear time and again!
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I think my inner writer (artist?) is a dilettante. . . maybe just a bit too eclectic and scatterbrained. Now it wants to do visual art pieces and gourmet cooking.
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Hi, Ev. This post is hitting a lot of what I am thinking/feeling lately. I have been blocking myself from letting my writing flow with the thought that I will repeat all this hard for nothing. Yet today I realized that all this work is for me, and not for anyone else.
Hard work it is. Determination – I think this is the most fundamental part about getting published. Thanks for sharing.
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Yeah, staying motivated/committed is hard work in so many ways, especially emotionally.
I think you nailed the “secret” to keeping on keeping on though: “Yet today I realized that all this work is for me, and not for anyone else.”
Absolutely. And thankfully every day isn’t rife with self-doubt and angst. Some days are exhilarating and lovely–you can’t type fast enough. I hope you have a bunch of the latter this week.
🙂 Ev
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Yeah, staying motivated/committed is hard work in so many ways, especially emotionally.
I think you nailed the “secret” to keeping on keeping on though: “Yet today I realized that all this work is for me, and not for anyone else.”
Absolutely. And thankfully every day isn’t rife with self-doubt and angst. Some days are exhilarating and lovely–you can’t type fast enough. I hope you have a bunch of the latter this week.
🙂 Ev
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Thanks, Ev! Right back at you.
Today was a good day – I look forward to many more!
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Yay for the good day, Jennifer!
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Yay for the good day, Jennifer!
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